Alzheimer disease

Pronunciation: awlts′hī-mĕr

Definition: a progressive degenerative disease of the brain that causes impairment of memory and dementia manifested by confusion, visual-spatial disorientation, impairment of language function progressing from anomia to fluent aphasia, inability to calculate, and deterioration of judgment; delusions and hallucinations may occur. The most common degenerative brain disorder, AD makes up 70% of all cases of dementia. Onset is usually in late middle life, and death typically ensues in 5–10 years.

Synonym(s): Alzheimer dementia, presenile dementia2, dementia presenilis, primary senile dementia

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